Damon Jones pleads guilty in gambling cases: 'I would like to sincerely apologize'
He is the first defendant in the cases to plead guilty.
Former NBA player and coach Damon Jones pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges he tipped off sports bettors about an injured LeBron James and used his own celebrity to lure high rollers to rigged poker games.
Jones, 49, is the first defendant in either case to plead guilty following the arrests of nearly three dozen people at the start of the pro basketball season.
Jones, who wore a black suit and black shirt, entered his guilty pleas during back-to-back hearings Tuesday in Brooklyn federal court.
"I would like to sincerely apologize to the court, my family, my peers and also the National Basketball Association," Jones said during the hearing before Magistrate Judge Joseph Marutollo.
In the first case, Jones was charged with Terry Rozier and others of helping a network of sports bettors wager on nonpublic information.
Jones pleaded guilty to a single count of wire fraud conspiracy. Federal prosecutors estimated he could face about two years in prison when he is sentenced.
Jones used his ad-hoc affiliation with the Los Angeles Lakers to obtain nonpublic medical information about certain players that prosecutors said he sold to co-defendants so they could make bets. He admitted to defrauding sports betting platforms and said his intent "was to obtain money."
On Feb. 9, 2023, when the Lakers played the Bucks, Jones admitted he sent a text message to a co-conspirator saying, "Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out! [Player 3] is out tonight. Bet enough so Djones can eat." LeBron James did not play that game and the Lakers went on to lose.
Rozier has pleaded not guilty and has asked the judge to dismiss the charges. Federal prosecutors said Monday they planned to charge Rozier with bribery as soon as next month.
In the second case, Jones was charged with Chauncey Billups and others of using his fame to get unsuspecting poker players to games rigged by the mob with altered shuffling machines, special sunglasses and X-ray equipment built into a poker table.
He also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Federal prosecutors estimated he faces a longer sentence, possibly four to five years in prison, in this case -- in part because it involved more than 10 victims who lost more than $9.5 million.
"As shown by his guilty pleas today, Damon Jones converted his fame and ties to professional basketball into a multi-faceted criminal betting operation," U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella, whose office prosecuted the cases, said in a statement. "Jones will now face the consequences for his corrupt conduct."
Jones, who is originally from Galveston, Texas, played for 10 teams in 11 seasons from 1999 to 2009. He and James played together in Cleveland from 2005 to 2008, and Jones served as an unofficial assistant coach for the Lakers during the 2022-2023 season.
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